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In the context of high winds and low clouds, how does one tackle the task of finding a worthwhile route up a Munro? Easy, by adding a Fiona!
Honestly, with
the deadline drawing scarily close, I had half a mind not to go. But upon imagining the month I'd spend hermiting away and walking only between the desk, the bed, the kitchen, and the bathroom, I thought one last hillwalk was appropriate. (AN: It ended up being a lot more than a month, in the end.) The walk would also be a good opportunity to catch up with J, since I'd been away for 3 months. So we set off by the A93, and parked by the Linn of Dee.
I wanted to leave the long, flat part for the return, so we walked a bit further on the road, heading for Creag Bhalg first. At the point I'd identified on Street View, we turned left, onto a track.
- The track was a lot more overgrown than I expected, or had advertised, and the section didn't feel too fun for the gal
- But at least our surroundings were brightly fungal! (Had to force that in, sorry...)
Some 350 m later, a junction was reached, and further on, we could continue on a much better track. Height was gained, and despite the forecast, it was so hot that I was glad I had opted for the lighter clothes. (Besides, I'd wanted a chance to show the jersey off...
) After 800 m, we came across another junction.
I'd planned to continue ahead to the mast SE of Creag Bhalg, climb to the ridge from there, and traverse along the hill SE to NW. But since J refused to make an effort for a Fiona, a compromise had to be reached. We went left, and J would continue down the track, heading for Glen Quoich. Meanwhile, I'd nip up Creag Bhalg, return to the track, and catch up with her - because in contrast to her, I refused to leave such an accessible hill unbagged.
- There was meant to be a path heading for the Fiona, according to several other reports. I thought I found it, only to find myself in deep heather instead
- I'd been too impatient to leave the track, as it turned out; the real path was a bit further N
Missing the path is my staple, but thanks to the rainy weather, this bout of heather-bashing wasn't only about lifting the boots over the scratchy shrubs, but also about unplunging them from the mud underneath. Annoying, but only an appetizer in comparison to what was ahead, I thought as I marched up the Fiona, turning right on its shoulder (which had reasonable views NW already) to reach the true summit.
- Reasonable views... or the potential for their existence, at least. Thanks to the aforementioned clag, the summits of almost all Cairngorm Munros were hidden; all I could hope for was Beinn Bhreac remaining as an exception to this rule at the opportune time
- Looking S, the cloud situation wasn't too different - but being a Corbett, Morrone stayed below
With the pictures taken and the summit bagged, I turned around to seek out the companion I'd strayed away from. On the way back, I stayed on the path the whole time for a change; even down where the heather was higher, the path stayed clear enough for me to follow it.
- So, how fast can I catch up with J?
To elaborate on the boggy appetizer remark, my initial plan was to join Creag Bhalg and Beinn Bhreac by the shortest possible route. Meaning, I'd leave this track at the highest point, cross the flat area around the 598 m top, drop into the bealach, and continue up Meall an Lundain. After a dry spell, that might be doable, but looking across the spongy grassland of a plateau, I finally resigned myself to the fact that the summer of 2024 was anything but. Bypassing this questionable area on the mapped paths might've been longer in terms of distance, but likely not in terms of time, and I'd say definitely not in terms of effort.
- Change of plans, then: Let's see how Meall an Lundain looks from the SE
I met J again at the edge of the forest. On the good path, we descended into Glen Quoich, crossed Allt Clais Fhearnaig, and turned left immediately after, onto another good, clear path. As we walked towards the lochan, we were scanning the slopes of Meall an Lundain for an opportune way up, but...
- The slopes: heathery, steep, and wet
- The way ahead: a path, on the flat (for now), and not too wet
Good paths can spoil walkers. But even though Naismith says that going over Meall na Lundain would've been 4 km and 1 h shorter, I find the latter very difficult to believe, especially in the current conditions. Naismith must've walked in snowshoes so large that he could cross bogs, vegetation, and even peat hags in a straight line without slowing down. Maybe they're called bogshoes, then - but they're definitely a feature I don't have access to at the moment.
- So we descended into Glen Lui, and turned right; at 2 pm, going up the glen was against the general flow of people
- Staying E of Derry Burn, the track snaked its way between pines, climbing gently
- Until, checking our position on the GPS constantly, I made sure we wouldn't miss the smaller path heading up for Beinn Bhreac
The path was quite boggy, especially lower down, under the trees. Although that could be linked to the fact that above the trees, the path turned left, copying the contour lines much more faithfully.
- Beyond the col, the climb began again, but the path remained okay
Eventually, the ground turned rockier and Cairngorm-like, the path disappeared, and I started to feel the promised high winds - though not enough to regret choosing the jersey.
A little to the right laid the summit of Beinn Bhreac.
- Unlike Beinn a'Bhuird, partly in sight ahead, we truly were below the clag on Beinn Bhreac
- The lower, W Top was clag-free, too
- While beyond a likely-boggy plateau, Beinn a'Chaorainn and Beinn Mheadhoin were embedded in the water vapour
The existence and description of this boggy plateau had always made me keen to avoid joining Beinn Bhreac and Beinn a'Chaorainn in one walk. I was satisfied with the concept of combining the former with Creag Bhalg - although adding in Meall an Lundain still would've felt better - but I wasn't going to let the Top pass by. One of my maps also showed a path that led down the W shoulder of Beinn Bhreac, beyond Allt Coire an Fhir Bhogha, which I wanted to try. Maybe it would be less boggy than the main path (despite the burn's name).
- Except by the time I'd reached the Top and looked back, J had begun retracing her steps down the obvious path, not joining me for the (so to speak) unimportant hill
It couldn't be helped, then; the obvious path it was. Chasing after her for the second time, the way down from the W top reminded me of the descent from Beinn an Dothaidh - a similarly two-topped hill, where I'd visited first the main, E summit, then the side top, from which I'd descended SE until I found and recognised the path I was looking for.
- What wasn't like Beinn an Dothaidh was the path itself. Shortly after rejoining J, in the woods already, we were deposited on the Glen Derry track: a long stretch of flat, good path to carry us all the way to the Linn of Dee. The perfect opportunity for some board-free games
We ended up walking just a tad slower than ideal, the skies opening up a couple minutes before we reached the car park. Nevertheless, despite the plans changing multiple times on the go, it still felt good to bag the first (and as it turns out, the only) Munro of my 2024.
